D3-1 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated: The Grasp of the Gnome!
by wsdsrdbw4096
Summary: As the title suggests, this story is a rewrite of the SDMI episode The Grasp of the Gnome and sequel to In Fear of the Phantom! Ninth entry of my reboot of SDMI. Please read and review!
1. Two heated arguments

**Author's Note: And now comes the ninth installment of my reboot of _Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated_.**

 **As usual, expect many revisions of the original episode of the same name to be made in this story.**

 **By the way, for RPM Shadow: The brother who told on Shaggy and the sister who told on Daphne are different than the ones that approve of Shaggy and Daphne's relationship.**

 **I don't own _Scooby-Doo_. Hanna-Barbera Productions and Warner Bros. does.**

* * *

Chapter 1: Two heated conversations at home

 _May 13, 2012_

"Surely you guys can't be serious?!" Shaggy exclaimed that late afternoon when he and Scooby were seated at the dining table with the former's parents. "Like, you know how Scoob and I can get cabin fever if we stay in the house all day!"

"Reah." Scooby agreed. "Rabin fever."

"Norville, Scooby, you boys know that we're doing this for your own good." Paula said sternly as her husband stood by her with his arms folded.

"That's right." Colton agreed. "How many times did your mother and I have to tell you NOT TO INTERACT WITH THAT BLAKE GIRL?"

"You sound like you've got bad blood with the Blakes, Dad." Shaggy interjected. "What was it Mr. Blake did that made you bitter about anyone related to him? Besides his foul personality, that is."

"Let's just say that he's one of those people who believes he can take anything for granted, like money for instance." Colton said. "And you all know how hard your mother and I have to work in order to earn a living."

"That doesn't explain why you allowed Neville to carry on with his relationship with Delilah, though." Shaggy quickly countered.

"That's because Delilah's different than her family." Paula quickly cut in. "She's disciplined just like your brother."

"And so is Daph, Mom and Dad." Shaggy quickly countered. "She never takes anything for granted and isn't the type that will have none of it when things doesn't go her way."

"Whatever." Colton huffed. He looked like he have had heard enough. "Starting today, you and Scooby are grounded for a week for not listening to your mother and I."

"And during this time when at school, you are not to interact with that Blake girl in any way." Paula added. "Tomorrow, I will telephone the school and see to it that this rule is enforced."

"Nor will we allow you to continue with your so-called 'hobby' in the week as well, Norville." Colton continued. "I received that phone call from the sheriff last Wednesday, and he was obviously not pleased with your deeds."

"It was a risk we had to take, Dad." Shaggy said. "The Hex Girls could've been killed! And Daphne's life was in danger! Surely-"

"Enough!" Paula roared. "You and Scooby could've been killed! It seemed like you boys have always been reckless and never cared about the dangers your 'hobby' has been presenting to your lives!"

"Then, what do you think we should have done, Mom?" Shaggy folded his arms. "Like, sit around and do nothing while a friend's life is at risk?"

"As the sheriff said, Norville." Colton said. "There's a reason why we've got a sheriff's department."

"The sheriff." Shaggy laughed. "Yeah, right. Like, as if he even cares about that sort of stuff instead of so-called 'tourist attractions'."

"Now don't you give me attitude, Norville." Paula said crossly. "This is serious!"

"Your mother's right." Colton agreed. "Until you and Scooby have learned not to take such dangerous risks again, you two are forbidden from hanging out with your so-called 'friends' until further notice."

"Right, then." Shaggy said as he got up from his seat, clearly fed up by his parents' dismissive attitude. "Scoob and I could care less about what you order us, and-"

"You want us to ban you and Scooby from having supper, son?" Colton asked. "Maybe we should have done that long ago to teach you boys a proper lesson."

Shaggy paused when his father made the remark, but then he and Scooby headed for the stairs.

"Where do you boys think you're going?" Paula asked. "We're not finished, unless you don't want to have dinner."

Shaggy, clearly fed up by the yelling, simply waved his hand dismissively as he and Scooby headed for the stairs to the basement.

Along the way, they walked past Neville, who shook his head in disapproval by the way things turned out in the discussion.

Once they were in Shaggy's bedroom in the basement, Shaggy closed the door and said to Scooby, "Like, don't worry, Scoob. It's a good thing we're always prepared for something like this."

He then gestured towards the bottom of his bed, removed the drawers and revealing a hidden refrigerator packed with food under the centre of his bed.

"Roh boy!" Scooby exclaimed excitedly.

"Yeah." Shaggy nodded. "Now we won't starve!"

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me, Mom and Dad!" Daphne said that morning as she sat at the living room with her parents.

"This is no joke, Daphne." Barty said sternly. "Your mother and I have give you plenty of chances when we warned you not to interact with that Rogers hippie."

"And in spite of those warnings, you still disobeyed." Nan added. "What problems do you have in listening, Daphne?"

"When that demand you and Dad make are unreasonable!" Daphne retorted. "What was it that Shag did that made you and Dad have bad blood with him? He did nothing wrong!"

"Being a lower social status is already a strike for us, Daphne." Barty said. "And him being a slacker was strike two."

"Then, what is strike three?" Daphne asked.

"Him being a rebel on the way things are being run in this town." Nan answered. "That's not the type I will like to see being married to my daughter."

"Unlike Fred Jones Jr." Barty added. "He's someone who I will like to see being married to my daughter."

"Even if he's not a fan of the way things are being run in this city, Dad?" Daphne asked.

"Well, my dear Daphne, his status as the mayor's son gives him a distinctive advantage over that hippie you're hanging out with." Barty said. "As I said before, that hippie's family social status doesn't work with-"

"That doesn't explain why you let Delilah court Shaggy's brother Neville, Dad!" Daphne huffed.

"Daphne Anne Blake!" Nan said crossly. "Do not interrupt your father while he's speaking!"

"Yes, and besides, Neville's different." Barty added. "He's very disciplined like your sister and is not a slacker like that hippie boy!"

"Well, this is where you are wrong, Dad." Daphne quickly said before her father had a chance to continue. "Shaggy's not a slacker. Sure, he may goof off and does eat a lot, but he's got the manners of a gentlemen, never hesitates to help me out when I'm having trouble with my homework and during our adventures, he and Scooby never fails to save the day."

"Whatever." Nan said dismissively. "You know that your father and I are doing this for your own good, Daphne."

"Doing this for my own good." Daphne said mockingly. "Yeah, right."

"Don't you give me attitude, Daphne." Barty said as he raised his voice. "Because if you do, I can and will have the school enforce my rules on you being not allowed to say a single word to that hippie boy at school, even during lunch period."

Daphne was stunned by the remark, but she then got up from her seat and stormed upstairs to her room without another word.

Along the way, she passed by Delilah, who shook her head in disapproval on how the conversation turned out.

* * *

That evening, Crystal Cove was buzzed by the first night of its annual week-long outdoor event: The Royal Knights Faire.

All of the attendants of the fair were dressed in medieval outfits, which included armoured knights, jesters, princesses and even Robin Hood.

There were also people that were dressed as Vikings for the event and everyone in attendance seemed to be having a fun time.

Among those in attendance were a certain young woman dressed as a medieval maid, who was sipping a drink.

As she finished her drink, a hand suddenly grabbed her by the shoulder.

The woman gasped and turned, only to see her friend dressed as a Viking and smiling at her.

"Well?" The friend asked. "How do I look, Jen?"

"You sure look fierce like a pirate." The woman, addressed as Jen, replied. "Though you shouldn't be wearing those horns."

"Why not?" The friend asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"It's a common misconception that Vikings wore horns on their helmets." Jen explained. "There's no archaeological evidence that backs that up."

"Must be from popular culture and those operas." The man remarked before feeling his costume belt loosening. "Excuse me for a sec. I gotta fix this thing."

"Okay." Jen nodded as he made his way to a storage area of sorts. "But don't take too long."

Soon, the man was alone in the dark storage area, tightening his belt. As he did so, a growl and a spooky-looking shadow suddenly whisked by.

"Huh?" The man turned, only to find nothing.

He walked forwards, and then the same shadow and noise whisked by behind his back.

Hearing the noise again, the man turned, and upon seeing no one, he asked, "Hello?"

Seeing no one, the man then proceeded to work on his belt when he suddenly came face-to-face with a sinister-looking gnome!

The gnome, with red glowing eyes and a pair of blue, glowing hands, growled as it marched towards him menacingly.

"Yah!" The man exclaimed in fright and quickly tried to back away from the gnome, only to trip over some crates.

To his horror, the gnome then leaned towards him and its glowing hands moved towards his face as if it was preparing to drain him of something.

Meanwhile, Jen thought he had been working on his belt for too long and decided to go into the storage area.

"Okay, Ben." Jen said as she marched into the dark storage area. "What's taking you..."

She stopped in mid-sentence when, to her horror, she saw a sinister-looking gnome hunched over her friend!

The gnome, upon seeing Jen, quickly backed away before leaping onto the nearby roof and rushed out of the scene.

Jen quickly rushed to Ben, whose face looked ghastly bright blue as he was paralysed in the attack.

Horrified by what just unfold, Jen raced outside the storage area and screamed for help.

* * *

 **Uh uh. That's some serious drama at the Rogers and the Blake households.**

 **And it looks like the gang's about to get another mystery in their hands.**

 **What will happen next? Stay tuned, and please read and review!**


	2. Back in school

**To RPM Shadow: If you check out my rewrite of _Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins!_ , which functions as an origin story for my reboot of SDMI, you'll see that I added five older brothers for Shaggy.**

* * *

Chapter 2: Back in school

 _May 14, 2012_

The next morning, Shaggy went through his usual routine upon waking up from bed.

He moved quick to fix breakfast for himself, and then brushed his teeth upon finishing his breakfast. Afterwards, he stormed out of the house with his school bag without saying a word to his parents.

He didn't bother heading for the usual meeting point with the gang at the Mystery Machine. Instead, he walked over to his school bus stop and waited for the big yellow bus to show up.

The school bus arrived at the usual time, and the driver raised his eyebrows as Shaggy got on.

"Didn't see you in recent days." He commented. "I guess you were deciding to take the bus to school for a change, huh?"

Shaggy simply nodded before moving to his seat in the middle of the bus.

Eventually, the school bus arrived at Crystal Cove Central High School at the usual time, and Shaggy headed straight for his locker after picking up two copies of the Crystal Cove Gazette along the way.

He knew that Daphne arrives later than him and has guessed that she might have received strict orders from her parents not to interact with him.

Sighing and shaking his head, Shaggy opened his locker door before placing his school bag into it.

Then, he pulled out a notepad and a pen and started writing something after some thinking.

Once he finished writing, he looked around to make sure that no one was around observing him before slipping the note and the second copy of the Crystal Cove Gazette into Daphne's locker through a mail slot-like gap in the locker.

He then checked on his watch, noted the time, grabbed a binder with his notes and a pencil before slamming his locker door shut and headed for his first period classroom.

A few minutes after Shaggy left his locker, Daphne arrived at hers not long after being dropped off at the school entrance by her family chauffier.

She was still fuming about the stern lecture her parents had given her the day before, and like Shaggy that morning, Daphne didn't say a single word ever since she had woken up.

There was a brief flash of moment where she had considered running away from home, but then she felt that she can do better than that and immediately shook that thought off.

Daphne proceeded to work on the combination lock of her locker before opening it, and when she did, the first thing she noticed were a stray note and a copy of the Crystal Cove Gazette inside her locker.

She raised an eyebrow at the note, but then she recognized Shaggy's handwriting on the note.

Figuring that he must've been under strict orders from his parents not to interact with her, Daphne nodded as she picked up the note and read it.

"Hey Daph: Time to pull the Note paper routine if we were to meet during lunch period. From: Shag." She read.

She chuckled when she read the part mentioning the "Note paper routine". It was a routine they developed and have practiced early in their friendship with Shaggy devising it as an emergency means for communicating with each other should their parents forbid them from interacting with each other at school.

Nodding, Daphne carried on with her usual daily routine, humming along the way.

Meanwhile, Fred and Velma pulled up in the Mystery Machine's usual parking spot at the student lot of Crystal Cove Central High School.

"It's not like they will completely forget about meeting with us, Velms." Fred was saying as he and Velma got off the Mystery Machine.

"Not unless their parents have given them an earful, Freddie." Velma reminded him. "You do know how much our parents are very much against solving mysteries, right?"

"Yeah, with your parents and Mayor Dad, that's one thing for sure." Fred nodded as he locked the van and they made their way to the school building.

As they walked to the main entrance of Crystal Cove Central, Fred added, "By the way, Velms, someone got attacked by a vicious gnome at the Royal Knights Faire last night. It's on the news."

"Oh, yes I heard about that." Velma said, tugging Fred's arm in order to catch up to him. "Sounds like another mystery coming up for us."

* * *

The morning went by as usual, and then came lunch period.

Shaggy sat at his usual spot in the cafeteria, placing his large pile of food on the table. Fred and Velma soon joined him at the table.

"You look like something's eating you, Shaggy." Fred remarked as he and Velma took their seats. "Something bothering you?"

"Like, guess the one word Willy Wonka had trouble saying in the 2005 Tim Burton film adaptation of _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_." Shaggy replied without looking up to his friends.

Fred and Velma turned and looked at each other in confusion.

"Uh..." Fred said. "I've never watched that movie, Shag, so..."

"It's parent's, right?" Velma quickly said.

"You got it." Shaggy nodded after finishing a sandwich. "I honestly have no clue why Mom and Dad have issues with me and Scooby hanging out with Daph and you guys."

"Well, given that the Phantom tried to kill you and Scooby last week, Shaggy, we do understand why they wouldn't let you solve mysteries with us." Velma said.

"Yeah, but why will they not allow me to meet with Daphne?" Shaggy sighed. "Especially when my brother Neville is dating Daph's sister Delilah."

"That's a good question indeed, Shag." Fred said.

"Oh, well." Shaggy said as he resumed eating his lunch. "Nonetheless, Scoob and I are now grounded for the week, though at least Daph and I got plans to deal with this type of situation."

"Like what, Shaggy?" Velma asked.

Shaggy glanced backwards to ensure that no one else was observing him. Then, he slipped a folded sheet of paper onto the vacant seat right next to him.

He then returned to eating just as Daphne arrived. She picked up the note Shaggy had left on her seat before sitting down.

Seeing the sour mood on her face, Fred asked, "Parent troubles, Daph?"

Big mistake mentioning the word. Daphne immediately turned and glared at him.

"Don't you even mention that word again!" She said in a calm but stern tone.

"Relax." Fred quickly raised his arms in a calming gesture. "I was just asking."

"Sounds like both Shag and Daph are having the Willy Wonka trouble when it comes to the word 'parent'." Velma whispered to Fred, who nodded.

As Velma made the remark, Daphne unfolded Shaggy's note, scanned through the words and nodded.

"Anyways, now that we're all here, gang, except for Scooby." Fred said. "I was wondering if you guys are interested in checking out the Royal Knights Faire that is in town for the week. In fact, someone got attacked by a vicious, ghostly gnome while at the fair last night."

"I will like to check it out, though not to get anywhere close to that gnome." Shaggy said, swallowing at the mention of the gnome. "However, I'm grounded by my parents for the week, and I can't say for sure on if they're going to be out of town this week."

"Something's telling me that your parents are going to watch your moves like a hawk after what happened last week with the Phantom." Velma remarked.

"And if they're out of town, then it's my older sisters that will do it for them." Daphne joined in as Shaggy resumed eating.

"Sounds like both you and Shaggy are in some fine mess, Daphne." Fred remarked.

"Yeah." Daphne agreed. "I just wish that our parents aren't that unreasonable."

"Seems like you guys both have mysteries on your hands." Velma remarked. "That is: How to sneak out of your respective houses without getting caught."

* * *

 **Please read and review!**


	3. More drama in the two households

Chapter 3: More drama in the households

The rest of the school day went by normally for the gang, though Shaggy remained in a stormy mood when school was over.

For once, he felt that he wouldn't mind waking up early just so that he can get to school early and stay away from the lousy home life.

As he headed out of the building, he walked past Daphne as she made her way to her locker.

"Like, see you tomorrow, Daph." Shaggy said without stopping.

The redhead nodded as she continued onto her locker without stopping. "See you, Shag."

Later that afternoon, Shaggy returned home as he was told, but he refused to say a single word when he walked past his mother when she greeted him at the doorway.

"How was school, dear?" Paula asked her youngest son as he made his way into the house.

Shaggy simply groaned in reply before marching down the stairs to his basement room without a word.

When he arrived, Scooby, who was laying on his bed, perked up.

"Rey Raggy." Scooby said.

"Like, hey old buddy." Shaggy said. "Sorry that you have to stay in home all day."

"Rit's okay." Scooby shrugged, gesturing to the video game console he had placed in front of the television screen, indicating that he had played some video games during the day.

"I see you have welcomed yourself to my video games, Scoob." Shaggy noted. "But anyways, did you have anything to eat?"

"Ri did." Scooby nodded. "Rom and Dad red me at re usual time."

"I see." Shaggy said. "You didn't say a word to Mom and Dad, did you?"

"Rope." Scooby shook his head. "Ri just don't runderstand rem."

"Me neither." Shaggy agreed as he rubbed the Great Dane's forehead. "But don't worry, pal, once I graduate from Crystal Cove Central, I'm going to move out of this joint for Darrow University and rent an apartment or live on residence. Just you and me, buddy."

"Rand Raphne too." Scooby added.

"If her parents let her." Shaggy sighed. "No wonder Willy Wonka had issues about parents."

"Rindeed." Scooby agreed as they sat on the sofa.

* * *

Dinner at the Rogers household was unusually quiet and awkward.

Normally, when the parents are at home, Shaggy and Scooby will simply eat as fast as ninjas at the dinner table while Colton and Paula silently eat away, occasionally having small talk with the duo. There were some degrees of awkwardness at the dinner table, but never has dinner felt this awkward like today.

Shaggy simply ate his dinner without a word and he and Scooby didn't eat in their usual ninja-speed fashion like they always did.

Also seated at the dining table was Neville, who didn't take long to spot the awkwardness simmering at the dinner table.

Seeing the sour look on Shaggy's face, Colton put down his fork.

"You know that your mother and I are doing this for your own good, Norville." Colton said, seeing that his youngest son is still fuming over the lecture he and Paula had given him the day before. "So there's no point fretting about you not being allowed to hang out with your so-called 'friends'."

Shaggy didn't make a response and he continued eating as if he didn't hear his father's remark.

"Norville." Paula said. "You know that your father and I care for your safety and we don't want to risk seeing you and Scooby getting hurt in the course of your irresponsible adventures, so why don't you say something?"

Grumbling under his breath, Shaggy simply took out a pen, wrote something onto his notepad, tore out the page and handed it to his parents.

Colton and Paula leaned over to read the note. It read: "Until you allow Scoob and I to hang out with Daphne, don't expect me to say a single word to you. In fact, Scoob and I won't hesitate to run away from home if you continue with that double standard of yours, even if that means we'll starve."

Colton and Paula looked at each other upon reading the note and they both sighed.

"I suppose Norville's got your stubborn gene, dear." Paula remarked to Colton.

"Yeah." Colton sighed. "Kids these days."

Paula then looked at her youngest son squarely in the eyes as she placed her hand on the table.

Sensing the tension in the room, Neville thought quickly and came up with something.

Before Paula could say a word, Neville quickly said, "I think what Norville needs is some relaxation, mother. I suggest that I take him and Scooby to the Royal Knights Faire and see to it that he gets enrolled in the military academy as per the nuclear option."

"You can enroll your brother, son?" Colton asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The military academy have a stand at the fair, where cadets dressed in period uniform does demonstrations and attracts prospective recruits." Neville replied nonchalantly. "And I will see to it that Norville gets enrolled promptly."

It wasn't exactly a lie. The state's National Guard operates a small military academy in Barnstow, a small town located at the south end of Crystal Cove County.

And each year, the Barnstow Military Academy participates in the city's annual Royal Knights Faire, operating a stand that consists of military demonstrations for prospective recruits to join the military academy.

Colton and Paula looked at each other, while Shaggy and Scooby looked at Neville with their eyes wide.

"Excellent idea, Neville." Colton nodded approvingly. "Why don't you boys go to the fair right after supper?"

"Sure thing, father." Neville nodded.

* * *

Things were even more awkward and filled with tension at the Blake Mansion across the neighbourhood.

Like Shaggy, Daphne didn't spoke a single word to her parents after she got home from school.

And like the dinner table at the Rogers, the dinner table at the Blakes was unusually awkward and silent.

Delilah was seated with her youngest sister and parents, and she can sense the tension between Daphne and their parents as the former continues her silent treatment.

For the most part, Nan and Barty just kept eating their dinner. However, it bothered Barty to see his youngest daughter keeping the sour look on her face.

When he asked Daphne to pass him the pepper shaker and Daphne simply pushes it to him without looking up from her plate, Barty had enough.

"Don't even think of giving me attitude, Daphne." Barty said to his youngest daughter. "You know that your mother and I are doing this for your own good."

Daphne huffed and didn't say a single word as she continued eating her dinner, as if she didn't hear her father making the remark.

"Daphne Anne Blake." Nan said. "Your father is speaking to you. The least you can do is look at him while he's speaking."

When their youngest daughter continued eating nonchalantly, Barty banged his fist on the table, right by Daphne's plate.

"Daphne Anne Blake." Barty said with a clear tone of authority in his voice. "Did you hear what I just said?"

Delilah, sensing that her sister might blow her top, quickly came up with something.

"Father, I think it's best that I take Daphne out for a walk after supper." She quickly stepped in. "So I can calm her down and once that's done, I will see to it that she gets enrolled in that prestigious private school in Deacon Hills, which operates a stand at the Royal Knights Faire."

"Oh, you think you can manage that?" Nan asked as her husband calmed down and returned to his seat.

Delilah nodded. "I'll have that done promptly tonight, right after supper."

Barty and Nan turned and looked at each other. Then, they nodded.

"Good." Barty said. "You do that, because it seems like your sister is in serious need to be taught of proper manners."

As her father made the remark, Daphne's eyes widened.

* * *

 **So much drama in the two households. I apologize if the serious drama is dragging the story too long, folks.**

 **The next chapter will introduce the gang to the gnome that attacked and paralysed a fair-goer as seen in the end of the first chapter.**


	4. At the fair

Chapter 4: At the fair

A short while later, Shaggy and Scooby were seated in Neville's Jeep as the Air Force second lieutenant drives them to the Royal Knights Faire.

"I can't believe what you just said to Mom and Dad, Neville!" Shaggy said. "Actually agreeing to implement the nuclear option of sending me to military school!"

"Reah!" Scooby agreed. "Rou know row much Raggy rates military school."

"Don't you guys get it?" Neville asked as he stopped at a red light. "It was the only way for me to get you guys out of the house, plus Delilah and I were supposed to meet at the fair tonight, and..."

"Oh, that." Shaggy's face expression brightened. "Like, Scoob and I owed you one, bro."

"Ha." Neville laughed. "But next time, guys, think before you decide to pull that run-away-from-home-thing. Things could've gotten worse had I didn't think and act quickly."

"Like, sure thing." Shaggy nodded. "Though I'll never understand Mom and Dad."

"I don't, either." Neville said as he pressed on the gas at the green light. "Just hang tight, Norv. You'll be out of there once you graduate from Crystal Cove Central."

"Right." Shaggy nodded as they drove on. "I hope so."

A short while later, Shaggy noticed that they were approaching the Blake Mansion.

"Like, aren't we going to the Royal Knights Faire, Nev?" Shaggy asked.

"I'm going to pick up Delilah on the way." Neville said. "But, just to be safe in case her parents are observing, we better change into our costumes."

He then pointed at the cargo hold of his Jeep, where he had placed their costumes.

"Wow." Shaggy remarked as he and Scooby peeked over to the cargo hold. "There are a couple of Viking costumes and a medieval suit of armour."

* * *

Meanwhile, Daphne and Delilah were walking down the neighbourhood towards the nearby bus stop and were chatting.

"I can't believe you'll blindly follow Mom and Dad's demands in getting me enrolled in some private boarding school, Delilah!" Daphne said with her arms raised. "And you do know how much I don't like boarding school, right?"

"Relax, baby sis." Delilah quickly said. "It was the only way for them to let me take you out of the mansion, as you are still grounded by them. And besides, I was to meet with Neville for a date at the fair tonight, and..."

"Oh, I see what you mean, sis." Daphne's face expression brightened. "Are we taking the bus?"

"No." Delilah shook her head. "Neville's going to pick me up at the bus stop, and if I'm not mistaken, I'm sure he'll be bringing his younger brother and dog with him."

"Mom and Dad sure are going to have a fit when they saw what you and Neville arranged." Daphne chuckled.

"Just hang on tight, baby sis." Delilah said as they arrived at the bus stop. "Once you graduate from Crystal Cove Central, you'll be out of there in no time."

"I sure hope so." Daphne nodded as they saw a Jeep approaching them.

The Jeep slowed down and the sisters smiled when they saw Neville, Shaggy and Scooby on board.

"Hey guys." Delilah said as the Jeep stopped in front of her and Daphne.

"Hey Delilah." Neville said as his younger brother and Scooby are adjusting their Viking costumes. "Ready for the fair?"

"I sure am." Delilah nodded as she and Daphne climbed onto the Jeep. "You sure make one great knight in shining armour."

"And you and Scooby looked great in your Viking costumes, Shag." Daphne added as the Jeep drove off.

"Like, thanks Daph." Shaggy nodded. "I sure wasn't expecting Neville to be bending Mom and Dad's rules like this."

"Parents." Daphne sighed. "You sure wish they'll understand."

"Oh well." Delilah said from the front passenger seat as she got onto her costume, where she's dressed as a medieval female warrior. "At least we got you guys out of the house."

"True." Shaggy, Scooby and Daphne all nodded.

"Anyways, I think you should change into your costume, Daphne." Delilah said, nodding at Daphne's costume that was in her handbag.

"Oh yes, I almost forgot." Daphne realized. "I'll do that when we arrive at the fair."

* * *

Soon, the five arrived at the fair in the outskirts of downtown and Daphne emerged from the women's washroom, now donning her costume.

"Like, wow!" Shaggy remarked when Daphne emerged in her costume. "You look...great, Daph."

"Rou sure are one rood princess." Scooby added.

"Thanks guys." Daphne smiled. "It sure feels great for us to be dressed up this way and be out of the house."

"Anyways, we're going to hang around in the fair, guys." Neville said as he and Delilah linked arms.

"Have fun and be careful." Delilah added before she and Neville walked away.

Once their older brother and older sister walked away, Daphne turned to Shaggy and Scooby.

"So guys." She said. "Where should we start?"

"Let's see now..." Shaggy rubbed his chin. "I know! To the food concession stands! I'll like to taste those _cassata alla Siciliana_ s I've read about!"

"Reah! Reah!" Scooby agreed before licking his lips.

"Somehow, I'm not surprised." Daphne remarked. "Lead the way, guys."

* * *

A short while later, the trio were munching on several medieval-themed snacks as they walked through the fair.

A vast majority of people were dressed in period costumes, mainly peasants, nobles, knights, kings, queens, princes and princesses, in addition to a handful of Vikings. It was like a journey back in time.

"It sure feels like we just got ourselves a mad scientist and a DeLorean and ended up in medieval Europe, guys." Daphne remarked.

"Indeed, Daph." Shaggy agreed.

Soon, they managed to get their hands washed and continued walking through the fair.

Looking around, Daphne continued, "Looks like it's going to be just the three of us hanging out."

Shaggy, who happened to be looking at a stand to their left, turned his head and looked forward.

"Like, maybe not." Shaggy said. "Look!"

Scooby and Daphne followed Shaggy's arm. At the end of the walkway was a Mayor Jones campaign stand with a Spook Museum stand.

Velma had her arms folded as her parents tried to convince her in vain to change onto a costume for the fair as the trio walked over.

"But Velma, my dear, you know that the only way to fully get into the spirit of the fair if you actually put on a medieval costume." Dale was saying as the trio reached the stands.

"I know, but I just don't want to." Velma huffed. "Besides, Freddie doesn't seem to be enjoying himself with his suit of armour."

Sure enough, as Mayor Jones, donned as a medieval king, was speaking to supporters of his campaign, Fred Jr. was having a rough time walking around.

The weight of the jousting plate armour he was wearing seemed enormous and he was having difficulties lifting his arms as he saw his friends.

"Dressing up as the Black Knight, eh, Fred?" Shaggy asked as he, Scooby and Daphne approached Fred.

"That wasn't my idea." Fred frowned as he lifted the eye cover and nodded at his father. "It was Mayor Dad's idea."

"Parents." Velma said as she joined her friends. "They sure don't understand us at times."

"Tell me about it." Shaggy said.

"Anyways, now that we're all here, gang." Fred said. "Why don't we check things out?"

"You mean, checking and see if the fair offers more delicious desserts?" Shaggy asked.

"No." Fred shook his head and smircked. "You guys know what I mean."

"Oh, that." Shaggy and Scooby's face expressions fell. "The mysterious gnome that attacked a fair-goer dressed as a Viking, eh? I sure don't like the sound of this."

"Reah." Scooby agreed, nodding at the Viking costumes he and Shaggy were wearing.

"Don't worry, guys." Velma reassured them. "We will get to the bottom of that."

"And how are we gonna do that if you're not dressed properly for the occasion, Velms?" Daphne asked.

"Now you sounded just like my mom, Daphne." Velma said, not sounding amused by the comment.

"Come on." Daphne urged. "It will be fun."

"Sure." Velma said. "Getting tripped over by a long dress sure is going to be a lot of fun alright."

* * *

 **Please read and review!**

 **In the meantime, rest in peace, Adam West. Thanks a bunch for your portrayal of Batman in the 1960s _Batman_ television series that boosted the comic book character's fortunes!**

 **To the Bat Poles! And to the Batmobile!**


	5. An attack in the parking lot

Chapter 5: An attack in the parking lot

A short while later, Velma emerged from the change rooms, donning a medieval princess costume similar to that of Daphne's, except that the colourization is orange and red as opposed to the purple and green worn by Daphne.

"Tell you guys what." Velma said, clearly not amused about the prospect of wearing the costume all evening. "Nobody says a word, nobody gets hurt."

Shaggy, Scooby, Fred and Daphne all shared a look before shrugging.

"Anyways, now that we're all here together, gang, where should we start?" Fred asked, saving everyone from the awkwardness that came with Velma's remark.

"Good question, Fred." Velma said.

As they were speaking, two Vikings walked by them, en route to the main entrance gate.

A short time later, the two Vikings in question were heading out to the parking lot.

"Boy, that queen sure is one royal pain in the neck." The tall, skinny Viking spoke as they walked past some parked cars.

"No kidding." The short, overweight Viking nodded in agreement. "All I did was saying 'Greetings, your Majesty' in my pirate voice, and she stared at me as if I got a sore throat or a disease in my mouth."

As they walked past a certain blue van, neither of them noticed a shadowed, tall pointy hat following them, sneaking behind the parked cars.

"Anyways, other than that, the fair was blast!" The tall Viking said.

Just as the tall Viking finished his remark, that shadowed, tall pointy hat suddenly raced across the roadway behind them in a creepy fashion.

Hearing the footsteps, the two Vikings stopped.

"Huh?" They both asked and looked to the back. Nothing.

Seeing nothing, the short Viking said, "I think that was just a squirrel."

Before his tall companion could reply, they heard the footsteps from the cars again, this time accompanied by some sinister laughter.

"That doesn't sound like a squirrel to me." The tall Viking said nervously as they looked around. "Maybe it was the root beer we had."

"Anyways, let's just get out of here." The short Viking said. "This dark parking lot sure is giving me the creeps."

"No kidding." The tall Viking nodded as they resumed walking. "You think they'll put in proper lighting in the parking-"

Before the tall Viking could finish his remark, they stopped dead in their tracks when they found themselves face-to-face with a gnome!

The gnome marched towards them menacingly, giggling as it went. before growling at the duo!

Frightened, they took off running to the right.

However, when they reached the other side of the row of cars, they were horrified to see the gnome waiting for them!

As quick as foxes, the two Vikings quickly raced down another direction and the gnome followed suit, swinging and leaped onto cars and SUVs as if he was an athlete competing in acrobatics in the Olympics.

Soon, the two Vikings found themselves racing right into the gnome, and they quickly stopped and raced once again in the opposite direction.

The gnome swiftly leaped onto a nearby tree branch before jumping out of sight.

The two Vikings soon reached their car and stopped to catch their breath.

Looking around, they saw the gnome chasing them was not in sight.

"I think we've lost him." The tall Viking huffed.

"Right." The short Viking said. "Now let's get out of here before he returns!"

The tall Viking then reached for his car keys but in a panic, he accidentally dropped them onto the ground while trying to unlock the car.

Groaning, the tall Viking leaned down to pick up his keys, but all in a sudden, a glowing hand appeared from the bottom of the car and grabbed him by the wrist.

The short Viking looked on in horror as his companion screamed in fright before collapsing to the ground, completely paralysed by the attack.

The gnome then emerged from the bottom of the car, with its eyes and hands glowing, and marched towards the short Viking menacingly.

The short Viking, in a panic, retreated backwards, only to back into a nearby parked car.

With nowhere to go, the short Viking could only look on as the gnome reached its hand for his face before everything went black.

* * *

A few minutes later, the gang were still deciding where to go when they heard a rather loud scream.

"Jinkies!" Velma said. "What's going on?"

"I don't know." Fred replied as they turned towards the source of the screaming, just in time to see a woman racing through the entrance gates. "But look!"

"Someone call 911!" The woman in question screamed.

The gang looked at each other in confusion before racing over to the woman in question, whose screaming also gained the attention of several onlookers.

"What happened, Miss?" Fred asked as they meet the woman.

"Two men in Viking costumes got attacked and paralysed by that vicious gnome!" The woman replied. "This fair is cursed!"

"Cursed?!" Shaggy and Scooby exclaimed in fright.

"Where are they?" Daphne asked.

"In Section B of the parking lot." The woman said before taking off.

Looking at each other, the gang quickly hurried out of the fair. In the process, Velma tripped over her long dress and groaned as she hit the ground.

"You okay, Velma?" Fred asked as he paused.

"Now you see why I'm not a fan of wearing this costume, Freddie." Velma groaned as Fred helped her up.

"Maybe I should carry you to save you the hassle of tripping over your dress." Fred offered as Velma brushed her dress.

Velma smiled. "Thanks for your offer of being my knight in shining armour, Freddie, but I think I'm alright."

"Suit yourself." Fred smiled back before they rushed over to join the others.

Soon, the gang arrived at Section B of the parking lot and didn't take long to find the paralysed Vikings.

"Jeepers!" Daphne exclaimed in disgust. "Their faces and hands are covered in some sort of glowing slime!"

"Hmmm..." Velma remarked as she kneeled down to take a closer look at the paralysed Vikings. Eyeing the glowing slime, she added, "I'll like to take a closer look at this slime."

The gang looked on as Velma took out a pick and a small crime scene investigation container and scooped up samples of the glowing slime.

* * *

 **Please read and review!**


	6. A diamond earring

Chapter 6: A diamond earring

A short while later, the two paralysed Vikings were carried onto the ambulance as the gang and several onlookers looked on, the onlookers including Sheriff Stone, Mayor Jones and the organizers of the Royal Knights Faire: Gillian "Gill" Littlefoot and his wife Amanda Littlefoot.

As they watched the paramedics loading the short Viking onto the ambulance, Gill, dressed as a court jester, said, "I told you that it was a terrible idea for us to take over organizing this cursed fair for this year, Amanda."

Amanda, who was dressed as a queen, only frowned at the remark.

"It's already bad enough that we're having money troubles." Gill continued. "And now with this gnome taking out the people enjoying this cursed fair, we might as well as move into an apartment and close down the fair, dear."

At the remark, Amanda raised her staff in anger, causing Gill to cringe before saying, "Or not."

"Cursed fair or not, we must continue running this annual event that dates back to when Crystal Cove was incorporated as a county." Amanda said sternly to her husband. "And I'm not letting some mythological gnome ruin it."

"Say Queen Amanda." Daphne said as she walked over to them. "What's this cursed gnome you two are talking about, just a bit of curiosity?"

"Oh, it comes from nothing other than this stupid legend concerning some gnome that was denied participation in the fair years ago as a result during that years fair that also doubles as a Vikings convention." Amanda huffed. "That gnome actor was never seen again after he was last seen sneaking into the fair one night."

"And you say that the gnome that did that to them was that missing gnome actor?" Fred raised an eyebrow, gesturing towards the loaded ambulance.

"That is correct." Amanda nodded. "But that's no excuse for me to cancel a fair that has been held in Crystal Cove for more than a century."

"Even after those two gentlemen got attacked, my queen?" Gill asked, gesturing towards the ambulance. "Surely-"

"Which is also why I've asked the sheriff for some favours." Amanda cut in, gesturing towards a sheriff's deputy dressed in medieval armour that was conferring with the sheriff. "Any more questions?"

Gill sighed. "No, my queen."

"Good." Amanda nodded. "Now let's get this fair moving."

As they watched Gill following his wife back into the fair, Fred turned to the gang.

"Hmmm..." He said as he turned to his friends. "Queen Amanda sure seems determined to keep the fair running, even though we've got three Vikings that were attacked in the past few days, gang."

As Fred was speaking, Daphne walked over to the ambulance loaded with the short, fat Viking, where she noticed something shining in the man's hand.

"What's this?" She wondered as she picked up the shiny object held by the paralysed Viking.

The object looked like a light purple diamond, and at the top, there's a small crystal ball with a short needle.

There's something familiar about the object as she held it with her hand before returning to her friends.

During this time, Mayor Jones was speaking to Fred Jr.

"You really should be helping out at my campaign stand, my dear Fred." The mayor was saying. "It'll get you into the mood about politics."

"Not to mention that your Black Knight armour makes you look like an outlaw, son." Stone added. "You might as well as avoid getting into a collision course with my deputies and help your father out."

"Um...sure thing." Fred Jr. nodded. "I was actually going to head back to the stand, though mind if I use the washroom first?"

"Take your time, son." The mayor sighed. "But make sure you get back when I start my campaign speech."

"Right." Fred Jr. nodded before motioning the gang to follow him back into the fair.

Once the mayor and the sheriff were out of earshot, Velma said, "I can't believe that you've volunteered yourself into taking part in your father's campaign, Freddie."

"I thought you don't like being part of your father's campaign." Shaggy added as he and Scooby took off their extra disguises.

The extra disguises were used in order for them to avoid being recognized by the sheriff, who could then phone their parents and blow Neville and Delilah's ruses.

"No, I don't." Fred said. "But I'm going to ditch this costume and leave it at the reception desk, with its eye cover closed."

"I see." The others nodded before Shaggy asked. "But how are you going to avoid getting caught?"

"Simple." Fred said. "I'm going to put a dummy in the armour, and it's going to play a recording of me snoring, while I don another costume in full disguise."

"Sounds like a plan, Freddie." Daphne said. "Though you're going to have to be quick before your father returns to the stand."

"Right." Fred nodded.

* * *

A short while later, Mayor Fred Jones Sr. returned to his campaign stand, where he saw the suit of armour slumped at the reception chair.

"My dear Fred, what's the matter with you?" The mayor asked, unaware that it was a dummy wearing the suit of armour. "I thought you said you want to help out in the stand."

"He did, Mayor Jones." Velma said as she and Daphne walked over. "However, on the way back from the washroom, he insisted in sampling some of the root beer offered in the food stands in spite of my warnings, and, well...let's just say that the root beer he drank actually have some alcohol with the ability to make him pass out just like what strawberry cider does to him."

At the mention of strawberry cider, Velma almost immediately thought back to the New Years celebrations at Fred's place the gang had took part in this past January, when Fred drank too much what he assumed to be non-alcoholic strawberry cider.

In a drunken stupor, Fred decided to go out for some fresh air and ended up getting caught in one of his own nets.

It took the gang and a few party goers, including the mayor, half an hour before they were able to set Fred free, and after the escapade, Fred made a New Years resolution to cut down on the number of traps he designed for his home security system.

"Huh." The mayor snorted. "Remind me to ask Queen Amanda to have the food stands checked for alcohol in drinks and make sure that Fred gets the rest he needs."

He then glanced at his watch before adding, "Now, if you will excuse me, I've gotta head onto the stage for my speech now."

After watching the mayor taking his leave, Velma and Daphne both shrugged before returning to the washroom where the boys were waiting.

"He fell for our story, Freddie." Daphne said as Fred adjusts his medieval lord costume.

"Perfect!" He smiled. "Now we can work to figure out that mystery with the gnome, gang."

"Speaking of the mystery, I think I found a clue." Daphne said before producing the diamond she picked up earlier. "One of the Vikings were holding this diamond."

"Hmmm..." Fred remarked as he and the others took a closer look at the diamond.

"Looks like an earring to me." Velma said.

"Like, could it have been left behind by the gnome?" Shaggy suggested. "Or maybe someone else dropped it, like Queen Amanda for instance."

At mentioning of the queen, Daphne's mind flashed when she remembered seeing Queen Amanda wearing a similar diamond earring on her left ear.

"You may be onto something, Shag." She nodded. "I don't recall seeing an earring on Queen Amanda's right ear while there's an identical one on her left."

"But that doesn't make any sense." Velma says. "Why would she be attacking Vikings and scare away fair-goers if she's determined to keep the fair running?"

"I guess that's one question we're going to have to find an answer for as we figure out this mystery, gang." Fred said.

* * *

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	7. Back in the fair and the split-up

Chapter 7: Back in the fair and the split up

A short while later, the gang were at the Mystery Machine as Velma examines the sample of glowing slime she had picked up from one of the Vikings.

Shaggy was playing with a Rubik's Cube to pass the time with Scooby watching while Fred and Daphne sat by.

A few minutes went by before Velma noticed something.

"Jinkies!" She remarked, alerting her friends. "You may want to take a look at this, gang."

"What is it, Velms?" Fred asked as they leaned over to join Velma.

"In this sample of glowing slime, I found traces of venom typically found in the nematocyst of a jellyfish." Velma replied. "The venom, without the other materials in the slime, is very toxic and can cause serious stings when touched."

"Holy cow." Fred remarked.

"Like, does this mean that the mysterious gnome knows his fish?" Shaggy asked.

"Something like that, Shaggy." Velma said. "Whoever this gnome really is must have a good knowledge in marine biology and chemistry in order to neutralize the toxicity of the venom but still leaving it with enough toxicity to paralyse others, with the effects lasting for five days."

The gang looked at each other as they digested the information.

"So jellyfish toxin and the diamond earring, these are the clues we've got so far, gang." Daphne said. "What should we do next?"

"That's a good question." Fred said as he thought for a while.

"Like, maybe Scoob and I should go back into the fair and check out the food stands." Shaggy suggested. "We still haven't have our snack yet."

"Oh, you guys." Velma rolled her eyes. "Didn't you guys already have your snack before you met up with us?"

"You know them, Velma." Fred said with a shrug before turning to Shaggy and Scooby and added, "But maybe we should all go back into the fair, just in case we have another clue lying around there."

* * *

A short while later, the gang were walking through the fair, with Shaggy and Scooby having had sampled almost every single snack offered at the fair.

"This sure is the life, eh Scoob?" Shaggy asked as he and Scooby both held mugs containing root beer float.

"Reah!" Scooby agreed before offering his mug to Shaggy. "Cheers!"

Shaggy and Scooby clinked their mugs and then proceeded to drink their floats. They then exhaled with looks of satisfaction on their faces.

While Shaggy and Scooby clinked their mugs, Fred and the girls looked towards a different direction, where they spot an open stand with bottles containing liquids of different colours.

"Wow, take a look at these bottles!" Fred remarked. "They remind me of the fun times while in chemistry class."

Before Daphne and Velma could say something, Fred walked over to the stand to try out mixing the liquids in the different bottles.

"Uh...Freddie..." Velma said when she saw the sign above the open stand. "Maybe you should be careful mixing those liquids..."

"Don't worry, girls." Fred reassured them confidently as he poured a bright blue liquid into a bottle containing a sample of pink-brown liquid. "I'm just trying to see if I can whip up an antidote to..."

Just before Fred could finish his sentence, there was a mild explosion.

"Jinkies!" Velma exclaimed.

"Jeepers!" Daphne exclaimed.

"Zoinks!" Shaggy exclaimed.

"Ripe!" Scooby exclaimed as they all ducked behind a nearby garbage can.

After the smoke cleared, the four peeked out from their hiding spot.

Fred was completely covered in blue powder as a result of the unstable chemical reaction caused by him mixing the two liquids together.

"...the glowing slime." Fred finished, dark smoke emerging from his mouth as he spoke.

"Fred sure looks like he's suffering from a severe case of the blues, Scoob." Shaggy remarked jokingly.

"Reah!" Scooby laughed. "Re-he-he-he-he-he-he!"

"This stand's an alchemy stand, Freddie." Velma said as she and Daphne walked over. "The liquids inside the bottles are not necessarily chemically stable, and besides, once the paramedics determine that the glowing slime contains jellyfish toxin, I'm sure they'll be administering the antitoxin to the victims."

"You don't say, Velms." Fred said.

* * *

After getting Fred cleaned up and into a new medieval lord costume, the gang continued their way through the fair.

They were walking by the a castle when they overheard an argument.

"Lord Barry, you should know that your refusal to allow Vikings to enter was the reason this fair is running in the red in the first place!" A voice they recognized as Gill Littlefoot was speaking.

"Running in the red?" Velma asked.

"We'd better go check, gang." Fred suggested.

Quietly, the gang walked over to the podium in front of the castle and hid behind a nearby tree, listening in to the argument.

"Says the joker who's been doing nothing to stop those vicious Vikings from entering the fair and causing it to be running further into the ground." Lord Barry retorted. "And besides, it's probably a good thing that gnome is attacking Vikings. Those Vikings costumes are completely inaccurate. For instance, there's no archeological evidence that Vikings wore horned helmets!"

"And coming from someone who didn't properly order the right costumes for the fair." Gill said. "Look, it was me being in charge of the fair that prevents it from running further into the ground."

"Since you're married to the rich Queen Amanda who took over running the fair for this year, yeah right." Lord Barry rolled his eyes at the comment. "We'll see how long you remain in charge."

Upon that remark, Gill Littlefoot walked away from Lord Barry with a huff.

"I think it'll be best if we split up, gang." Fred whispered to the others. "Shag, Scooby, you guys follow Gill Littlefoot while the girls and I keep an eye on Lord Barry."

"And remember to be careful, guys." Daphne added as Shaggy and Scooby got up. "With that gnome still running loose in the fair and targeting Vikings, you guys can become easy targets."

"Like, don't worry, Daph." Shaggy reassured her. "Scoob and I can take care of ourselves."

"Reah." Scooby agreed. "Rake care of ourselves."

* * *

 **(Fred and the girls)**

After the split-up, Fred and the girls followed Lord Barry as he entered his castle.

Silently, they followed Lord Barry as he entered a private room.

Taking a peek through the cracked door, the trio saw him stop in front of a closet.

"I honestly don't know why the Viking costumes that were ordered for the fair came with these horned helmets." He remarked to no one in particular. "But I sure will be happy to play one for a change this year."

The trio then watched Lord Barry taking a Viking costume out from the closet.

At the scene, Fred and Daphne shared a look as they were reminded of their very first mystery while investigating ghost appearances at their high school.

Shaggy had suspected the janitor to be involved in the ghost appearances back then, so they sneak back into school in disguise and followed the janitor into the supply room, only to end up catching him videotaping himself dancing.

 **(See _D3 SDMI: The Mystery Begins_ for the story in question.)**

"I guess we can cross Lord Barry off our suspect list." Velma remarked as they quietly sneaked away while Lord Barry changed into his Viking costume.

"Yeah." Fred nodded. "I hope Shaggy and Scooby are having better luck than us."

 **(Shaggy and Scooby)**

Meanwhile, the duo silently followed Gill Littlefoot back to his castle.

With royal guards standing guard at the castle entrance, the duo knew better than trying to sneak in, as they couldn't see another way in.

"What now, Scooby Doo?" Shaggy sighed and asked.

Just then, Scooby saw Gill Littlefoot through a nearby window.

"Raggy, rook!" He said, pointing towards the window.

Shaggy, whose back was facing the window in question, turned and saw the jester.

The duo sneaked to the window and peered in, keeping low to avoid detection.

Gill looked like he was changing into his night clothes, as if he was preparing to call it a night.

As Gill Littlefoot left the room to get changed, Shaggy and Scooby leaned closer towards the window.

The duo looked around the room, and one thing Shaggy saw was a diploma issued by Darrow University for a masters degree in Marine Biology.

"Like, Gill's got a masters degree in Marine Biology, Scoob!" Shaggy remarked.

"Rand look at rose!" Scooby added, gesturing towards several champion cups in the room.

Shaggy looked closer. All of those champion cups were for gymnasium, and there were framed photos of Gill Littlefoot receiving several champion cups.

"Someone sure is one swinging gymnast in his school's gym class, Scooby." Shaggy nodded.

Scooby nodded in agreement, but before he could say something, they heard a creepy, sinister-sounding giggle coming from behind.

"Now what's so funny about this, Scooby?" Shaggy asked.

"Rhat wasn't me, Raggy." Scooby quickly said.

Shaggy's eyes widened at the remark. "Like, if it wasn't you, Scoob, who was it?"

The sinister giggle grew more pronounced and the duo quickly turned.

The duo almost immediately found themselves face-to-face with the sinister gnome.

"Zoinks!" Shaggy exclaimed as Scooby leaped into his arms. "The gnome!"

The gnome growled menacingly at the duo, and they quickly took off.

As quickly as foxes, Shaggy and Scooby raced down the fair with the gnome swinging around in hot pursuit.

A short while later, the duo were chased into a wooded area, and Shaggy turned his head and his eyes widened.

"Zoinks!" He exclaimed, seeing the gnome about to grab Scooby by the tail!

Looking around, Shaggy saw a loose tree branch and he quickly grabbed it.

He then turned his head to a certain direction **(Breaking the fourth wall)** and said, "Don't try this at home, kids."

Shaggy's voice sounded like a certain DJ who was the long-time host of _American Top 40_ as he made the remark, and that DJ's voice almost sounded like Shaggy's.

After making the remark, Shaggy used the stick to hit the gnome in the hand, preventing him from grabbing Scooby by the tail.

"Like, go find the others, Scooby." Shaggy then instructed the Great Dane. "I'll try to hold him off!"

"Rou sure, Raggy?" Scooby asked.

"Just go!" Shaggy quickly said.

Seeing the determination in Shaggy's eyes, Scooby nodded. "Rokay, Raggy."

As Scooby ran off, Shaggy turned his attention back to the gnome.

"Like, shoo!" Shaggy swung the stick aggressively as he backed away from the gnome, who was marching towards him menacingly. "Beat it! This fair ain't big enough for the two of us!"

However, Shaggy didn't watch where he was going, and he almost immediately bumped into a tree behind him.

The tree happened to have a loose coconut right above him, and it broke loose and fell and hit him in the head.

As Shaggy laid on the ground, completely knocked out cold, the gnome leaned over and reached for his face.

* * *

 **Please read and review!**


	8. The rescue and the capture

Chapter 8: The rescue and the capture

Fred and the girls were seated at the table when Scooby came rushing over without Shaggy.

"Scooby!" Fred said when they spotted the Great Dane running towards them. "What's the matter with you?"

"You looked like you just seen a ghost." Velma said.

"And where's Shaggy?" Daphne added.

"Rone." Scooby moaned. "Re followed Gill Littlefoot ro his castle with raurds rand lost him. Rhen, the gnome showed rup rand chased rus to re woods, where Raggy told me to go find rou guys while he tries to hold re gnome off. Ri didn't ree him rafter rhat."

"The gnome?" Velma asked. "Oh no!"

"We better go check in the woods!" Fred said. "Where did you last see him?"

"Rollow me." Scooby replied, and Fred and the girls all nodded before getting up from their seats and followed him into the woods.

When they reached the part of the woods where Scooby last saw Shaggy, Shaggy was nowhere to be seen.

"I'm afraid we've lost Shaggy, gang." Fred said.

"Well, he's gotta be around here somewhere." Daphne said. "We just can't give up."

"Daphne's right." Velma said. "Shaggy is going to be in big trouble if we don't find him."

"Alright, gang." Fred ordered. "Split up and start searching."

Everyone nodded before they proceeded to split up and searched the area.

Velma first came upon a certain tree and examined the trunk and the tree branches above, during which she noticed something peculiar.

"Hey gang, check this out!" She said before pointed towards the top.

The others stopped what they were doing and rushed over before looking up.

"Did you guys see the catwalks above?" Velma asked as she pointed towards the area of peculiarity she spotted.

Fred, Daphne and Scooby all squinted their eyes as they looked up with their flashlights shined towards the top of the tree.

"I see it!" Fred announced.

"Isn't there supposed to be a ladder leading to the catwalks above?" Daphne asked.

"There should be." Velma replied. "Either that, or at least the trees should have ladder rungs or steps attached to their trunks."

Fred was examining the tree during the remarks before saying, "I don't see any sign of ladder rungs on the tree trunk."

"Rand rere's no ladder rearby." Scooby added after looking around.

It was Daphne who spotted the catwalk connected to a hole in the top of the tree trunk.

"Hey guys, there's a hole in the trunk up there connected to the catwalk." Daphne said as she pointed upwards and towards the hole as she spoke.

"Which means there's gotta be a secret entrance into the tree trunk of some sort." Fred said before knocking on the tree trunk and frowned. "This one doesn't sound hollow."

"Maybe there's a ladder inside one of the other trees." Velma offered.

"Maybe." Fred said. "Let's split up again and search the trees."

Everyone nodded before proceeding to split up, searching the nearby trees one by one.

As Daphne backed up during the split, she backed into a tree and ended up pushing the wooden door in the trunk inwards, causing her to fell over and into the tree!

"Oh!" She exclaimed as she fell over, attracting the attention of the others, who promptly rushed over to her aid.

"Way to go!" Velma exclaimed as Fred and Scooby checked on Daphne. "Danger-prone Daphne did it again."

Daphne only blinked before the others managed to help her up.

"And you've hit the jackpot, Daph." Fred added. "There is a ladder inside this one's trunk!"

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Daphne asked. "Shag's probably in great danger now!"

"Reah." Scooby agreed as they all proceeded to climb up the ladder. "Raggy, rang in rere!"

* * *

Soon, the four were walking carefully on the catwalk connected to the trees and above the fair grounds.

"So this is how the gnome was able to appear all in a sudden at a certain place in the fair." Velma surmised. "With this network of catwalks above the fair grounds, one can get from one part of the fair to another part fairly fast."

"Which means that whoever's behind the gnome business clearly knows the fair well." Fred added.

Just then, the four heard the familiar-sounding giggle coming from behind them.

"You guys hear that?" Velma asked.

Scooby's ears perked up as he pinpointed the source of the giggle before turning and saw the gnome walking on another catwalk, heading another direction.

"It's the gnome!" Fred said as he pointed towards the gnome.

"We've gotta go grab him!" Daphne said.

Upon hearing Fred's voice and Daphne's declaration, the gnome turned and saw the four trying to reach towards him.

Without hesitation, the gnome quickly started swinging away.

"After him!" Fred exclaimed, and the four quickly took off after the gnome.

During the course of the running, Scooby's ears perked up when he heard another noise. It sounded like moaning.

"Raggy?" Scooby asked.

Pinpointing the location of the source of the noise, Scooby immediately turned back.

"Scooby!" Velma said when she saw Scooby running in another direction.

"Rou guys go ahead!" Scooby barked. "Ri'm going to rescue Raggy."

Before Velma could say anything else, Daphne grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Let's go!" Daphne said before they joined Fred in the chase.

Scooby continued running on all fours on the catwalk like a horse taking part in a cavalry's forward charging in a battle.

Eventually, he stopped and looked around before looking up and his face-expression brightened.

"Raggy!" Scooby exclaimed when he saw Shaggy tied up and gagged and tied to a tree branch.

Swiftly, the Great Dane moved quickly to free Shaggy and untie him.

"Like, boy am I glad to see you, Scoob old buddy!" Shaggy said after Scooby removed the gag.

"Raggy, rou're alright!" Scooby said before proceeding to lick Shaggy.

Feeling ticklish from the licking, Shaggy laughed.

"Ah, down Scoob." He laughed. "Down!"

In that same time, Fred and the girls were having trouble trying to catch up with the gnome as it managed get off the catwalk.

Noticing a tree branch leading downwards to the ground where the gnome is at, Fred thought swiftly and took off his ascot.

Using it as a pulley, Fred swung off the catwalk and zip down the tree branch as if he was on a zip-line.

He landed right in front of the gnome, who in shock backed away from the blonde.

Meanwhile, up on the tree branch above, Shaggy was getting up when he lost his grip on the tree branch.

"Zoinks!" Shaggy exclaimed as he slipped from the tree branch.

"Raggy!" Scooby said as he quickly grabbed Shaggy by the wrist.

Seeing the action, both Velma and Daphne gasped as Scooby struggled to pull Shaggy up.

However, it just so happened that the tree branch was rotten from the inside and it couldn't withstand the weight of Shaggy and Scooby. It snapped just as Scooby was about to succeed in puling Shaggy up.

"Ripe!" Scooby exclaimed as he and Shaggy fell towards the ground with the tree branch.

In that same time, the gnome was contemplating his next move as he faced Fred when suddenly, the shadow of two figures and a tree branch became centred on him and got larger with the sound of a whistle.

Before the gnome could react, Shaggy, Scooby and the loose tree branch landed right on him.

"Ooph!" Shaggy exclaimed as he and Scooby hit the ground.

"Shaggy! Scooby!" Daphne and Velma both shouted as they rushed over to the scene.

"Are you guys alright?" Velma then asked as Fred and Daphne helped Shaggy and Scooby up.

"Like, other than understanding the type of stuff Batman has to go through each night in Gotham, I think I am." Shaggy said as he rubbed his ribs.

"Well, at least you guys captured the gnome." Fred said as they all eyed the gnome, who was lying on the ground and not moving.

* * *

 **One more chapter to go. Please read and review!**


	9. Unmasked and a discussion

Chapter 9: Unmasked and a discussion

A short while later, the gang, along with Mayor Jones, the sheriff, a couple of deputies, Lord Barry and Queen Amanda, the latter two who were fetched by Velma, were at the down gnome.

"I should've figured that you were faking drunk symptoms so you could be with your gang, my dear Fred." Mayor Jones said, the tone of disapproval was unmistakable in his voice.

"And word has it that you two have been grounded by your parents, Mr. Rogers and Miss Blake." The sheriff added as he eyed Shaggy and Daphne.

"Like, what happens at home stays at home, sheriff." Shaggy replied nonchalantly.

"Anyways, I have to hand it to you kids for capturing this gnome that's been causing all the trouble here in the fair." Queen Amanda said.

"Actually, your Majesty, it's not really a gnome." Fred said as he moved to the gnome that was handcuffed. "He's really..."

He then removed the gnomes mask, revealing Gil Littlefoot behind the mask and costume.

"...Gil Littlefoot." Everyone exclaimed with Fred as the mask was pulled off.

"I've thought so." Velma said.

"But why?" Lord Barry asked.

"As a matter a fact, it all comes down to greed." Velma said when she produced a file and passed it to the sheriff. "Check out the insurance policy of Gil Littlefoot and the terms of conditions and agreement for running the Royal Knights Faire."

The sheriff made a quick scan of the file and his eyes narrowed.

"Seems to me that someone has been staging the gnome attacks in order to run this fair into the ground, frame his partner for the attacks and then collect the insurance money that resulted from the closure of the fair." Stone said loudly.

"Exactly." Velma nodded. "When Shaggy and Scooby told us about what they discovered while watching Gil Littlefoot after we captured the gnome, I thought that I'd pay a visit to Gil's room as I went to the castle to fetch Queen Amanda and Lord Barry."

"No wonder you stayed behind at the castle, Princess Velma." Queen Amanda said. "Though what prompted you to do so?"

"I'll get to that later, your Majesty." Velma said.

"Anyways, before Velma found the insurance policy and the terms of conditions and agreement for running the fair, our first clue was the sample of the glowing slime that the gnome used to paralyze his victims." Fred said.

"Yes." Velma nodded. "I found traces of jellyfish toxin that, when separated from the other ingredients of the slime, is very toxic and can cause serious stings and paralysis, with effects lasting up to five days."

"Right." The sheriff said. "The paramedics did reported to us on that. Go on."

"Our second clue is what Shaggy and Scooby discovered when they followed Gil Littlefoot." Fred continued.

"Right." Shaggy nodded. "Like, we saw several gymnasium champion cups Gil won over the years, in addition to a Masters degree in Marine Biology diploma awarded to Gil by Darrow University, placed on cupboards and hung on the wall in the room."

"And given that the gnome has to be someone that has knowledge in Marine Biology to work out the paralysis slime he produced and has gymnastic skills in order to be able to move flexibly like the gnome did, it didn't take long for us to figure out that the gnome's got to be Gil Littlefoot." Daphne said.

"Right, then." Stone said. "Though as Queen Amanda asked, what prompted you to stay behind in the castle when you went to fetch her and Lord Barry, Miss Dinkley?"

"Well, it was a hunch I've got in mind, based on gossips that were spreading around town." Velma said. "Word has it that the Littlefoots' marriage isn't working out well and that they're probably considering divorce and that the wife was to get most of the shared property between them."

"So it's safe to assume that my husband was planning to get even by using that insurance policy on me and stage the gnome attacks to run the fair into the ground, put the blame on me and then collect the insurance money." Queen Amanda mused before turning to her unmasked husband and added. "Well, it looks like the tables have been turned, Gil. Not only as it turns out that I'm taller than you, but your little scheme in using that old legend to get rich has just gone bust."

Gil sighed and grumbled under his breath as he was taken away by the deputies.

As the cruiser departed from the scene, Fred turned to Stone and asked, "So how long does those paralyzed victims are expected to be discharged from the hospital, Sheriff?"

"Oh, with the doctors finding the antidote, I'd say no more than two days." Stone replied. "You know, with the victims staying overnight for observations in case of any side effects from the treatment."

Everyone else nodded thoughtfully.

"But I digress, I have a feeling your parents are going to have a good talk with you kids when the fair's over." Stone added.

"Indeed he will." The mayor said as he eyed Fred.

* * *

"It's too bad that meathead sheriff ruined it." Neville remarked to Shaggy and Scooby as they dropped off Daphne and Delilah later that night.

"Yeah." Delilah said. "But at least you guys have fun while it lasted."

"Indeed." Shaggy nodded. "Anyways, see you tomorrow, Daph."

"Reah. See you." Scooby added.

"Bye guys." Daphne said. "And good luck."

"Same to you, Daph." Shaggy nodded. "You're gonna need it."

Daphne smiled and waved at Shaggy and Scooby as the Jeep drove off before joining her sister in walking home.

* * *

When Shaggy sat in his bedroom while Neville walked Scooby, he heard footsteps coming from the stairs leading to his basement room.

"Norville?" Colton asked as he stepped into the room after a knock on the door.

"Yes, Dad?" Shaggy asked as he put down his guitar. "What's up?"

"Do you really like Daphne?" Colton asked as he sat on the couch beside his youngest son.

Shaggy thought for a while before nodding. "She's like a sister to me, Dad."

Colton nodded thoughtfully. "I've thought so. Can't say I'm surprised, because Daphne inherited her mother's caring side. Actually, more to the point, she inherited the caring side her mother lost all those years ago."

"Huh?" Shaggy asked. "Like, what do you mean by that, Dad?"

"Just between you and me, son, while your mother, Scooby and Neville are out." Colton said. "I used to be good friends with her before she met Barty, and let's just say that his influence released a money-hungry side of her that made her the selfish and vain woman we see today. Not that I intend to spread gossips or rumours."

"Before that, the two of you were close?" Shaggy asked.

"Like brother and sister." Colton nodded. "One of my regrets was not making my move on her when I had the chance."

Colton then placed his hand on Shaggy's shoulder as he continued, "When I told you about my disapproval in your friendship with Daphne, Norville, it's not exactly because I don't like her, but rather, it's because it reminded me of what I went through with Nancy when she changed for the worst."

Shaggy nodded thoughtfully. "Then, what made you okay with Neville going out with Delilah?"

"Actually, you were younger when they started dating." Colton said. "And I wasn't exactly a fan of them hanging out for the same reason I mentioned earlier, son. And the reason I was more harsher on you was because I couldn't bear the thought of being reminded of my time with Nancy all over again."

Shaggy nodded again, and his father almost felt bad about him nodding all the way.

"Anyways, what I want you to know is don't make the same mistakes I've made years ago with regards to a girl you're interested in that also feels like a sister to you, son." Colton said. "If you really like her and want to hang out with her, then by all means, follow your heart. However, I have to warn you that your mother wouldn't like it."

"What's her issue with the Blakes?" Shaggy raised an eyebrow.

"Let's just say that she's got her personal dislikes of them for whatever reason she gives you." Colton said. "But don't take it personally. After all, it's your choice to decide if Daphne's right for you."

Shaggy nodded thoughtfully. "And what about my and Scooby's grounding?"

"Technically, you boys are still grounded, though I'll still allow you boys to got out, you know, discretely." Colton says. "And since your mother is frequently out of town for work, I suppose the point of enforcing that can be rendered moot."

"Okay...then." Shaggy said as his father got up from the couch.

* * *

Meanwhile, Velma was fuming about spending the rest of the night at her parents' stand selling souvenirs from the Mystery Museum.

The boredom that came with her sitting at the stand with not much costumers to deal with caused her to doze off slightly.

She was interrupted from her thoughts of falling asleep when her father told her that their stand will be closing in ten minutes.

As Velma sat up straight, she noticed an envelop that wasn't on the counter a minute ago. It had the sticker labelled "E" on the back.

"I wonder what is Mr. E up to now?" She wondered to herself as she picked up the envelop and opened it.

Inside the envelop was a photograph of the Mysteries Five. It was the same photograph from the yearbook that Shaggy showed them earlier of the band, only this time, the parrot was circled in red.

There was a message written on the back of the photograph, and it read: "Don't give up. This has happened before."

"What has happened before?" Velma asked. "And why is Professor Pericles circled in this photograph? I guess the mystery thickens."

As she made the remark, she looked up towards the night sky, revealing a waxing crescent of the moon as the nearby palm trees swayed from the nighttime breeze.

* * *

 **The adventure continues in _D3 SDMI: Battle of the Humungonauts!_**

 **Please read and review!**


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